| ←170 | Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1986-2001 Relative Priority of the Various Bahá’í Funds |
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| 31 OCTOBER 1993 |
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
171.1 It has come to the attention of the Universal House of Justice that the believers would benefit from a further clarification of the relative priority of the various funds of the Faith, as any confusion in this regard could inhibit the fulfillment of their wish to contribute towards the work of the Cause. It has, therefore, instructed us to send you the following comments, which you are asked to share with the friends under your jurisdiction in ways you feel would be most efficacious.
171.2 The fixing of priorities is dependent on many factors, relating both to the Cause as a whole and to each individual in his or her own circumstances.
171.3 As far as the Cause is concerned, all the work must be kept going; all the funds need to be supported, both directly by the believers, and also by the making of contributions by Bahá’í institutions from one fund to another, which do not take the place of contributions from individuals—the source of the life-blood of the Cause.
171.4 At the level of the individual believer, attention to the needs of the funds of the Faith parallels the principles which govern other multiple loyalties. The first loyalty of a Bahá’í is to the whole of mankind, for the benefit of the part is best achieved through the welfare of the whole. But this widest loyalty does not eliminate the lesser loyalties of love for one's country, for the area in which one lives, or for one's family. They all constitute a network of interdependent and mutually beneficial loyalties. So it is with the individual believer's relationship to the International, Continental, National and Local Funds.
171.5 Although the setting of priorities for contributing is a matter for personal judgment, the individual believer will certainly bear in mind the priorities of the work of the Cause as a whole.
171.6 At the present time the opportunities for the Bahá’í community, and the challenges in front of it in every field of activity and every part of the globe, are great and growing. All must be met to some degree. But the most challenging and urgent is the completion of the Mount Carmel Projects—the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb and the raising of three new structures of the Administrative Center of the Cause. This vast undertaking is an integral part of God's Plan for the development of the Cause. It is an element of the tremendous changes which mankind is undergoing as the end of the twentieth century approaches. Although small compared with most projects of governments and international bodies, it is a major challenge to the Bahá’í community—a challenge, nevertheless, which it is well within our capacity to meet—and the time for completion of these projects is now.
171.7 The united efforts of Bahá’ís in every land will yield not only the material means to complete the Mount Carmel Projects but will draw down divine confirmations on the work. It is inevitable that in a project of such size, a large portion of the money will have to come from those Bahá’ís who are endowed with wealth, whether this be to a moderate degree or of a considerable magnitude. The US$74,000,000 called for during the years of the Three Year Plan is a sum that is difficult for many friends to visualize. Some have written to suggest means of making the contribution of this large sum manageable. One suggested the idea of breaking it into units. Thus, to assist in visualizing this sum one can regard it as being a little over eight thousand units of $9,000 each. Individuals with means can use this as a measure of whether they feel able, with sacrifice, to give one or more units of $9,000 in this time. Local communities or other groups may wish to set collective goals on such a unit basis. This may be helpful but, of course, contributions of any size will constitute a vital part of the stream of means for the accomplishment of this historic enterprise.
- With loving Bahá’í greetings,
- DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARIAT
